


Melodies of Me and You

by YukiRiikus_Reading_Room



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blindness, Caring Sebastian, Day At The Beach, Drunken Confessions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Mature Sebastian, Musicians, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s), Reader-Insert, Secret Identity, Slow Build, Unrequited Crush, personal assistant, recovering from an injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 20,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27013441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YukiRiikus_Reading_Room/pseuds/YukiRiikus_Reading_Room
Summary: Injured and trying to recover from a series of scathing reviews on their latest single, Vesper's manager suggests taking some time off and hide out in the country while they recover. After all, what could possibly distract her in a place like Stardew Valley?Sebastian, for one thing. She just doesn't know it yet.
Relationships: Abigail & Sam & Sebastian (Stardew Valley), Abigail/Emily (Stardew Valley), Alex/Haley (Stardew Valley), Sebastian (Stardew Valley)/Reader, Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey-o, I'm back with more Sebastian/Reader nonsense! The reader insert is named Vesper this time, because Y/N distracts me (I dont hate it, I just find it hard to write if its not a name) but they won't be described other than being a girl so imagine whatever you want. 
> 
> I thought about doing another bachelor or bachorette this time since I did Sebastian in Obsidian and Stone... But he is my favorite so... Hete we are lol

"...you're not listening, are you?"

"Its not my fault you want to hide me so far out in the boonies, I keep falling asleep." Vesper sighed, sitting up from where they'd been dozing with thier face pressed into the window of the bus and readjusting the dark glasses they were wearing. "I don't see why we couldn't take the jet, it would have been much faster."

"The paparazzi, for one thing. There's always at least one stalking the airport and the whole point of this retreat -"

"Is that what we're calling this?"

" -Is for you to get some time to rest outside of the tabloids." Her manager carried on over her as if she hadn't spoken, a deep sigh following a second later. Vesper thought it was almost a blessing that they couldn't see Vanessa's face right now - it was much easier to ignore her worry and disappointment if she couldn't see her face. Leaning in she placed a hand on her shoulder, her voice softening. "Look, we've been friends for years now and... I'm worried about you. I know things have been rough, and I really think a good rest out of the public eye will do you good."

"I fail to see how putting me, who is halfway to blind because of an accident I didn't cause, in a new location that I am unfamiliar with is a good idea." Vesper said in a rough whisper, knowing without seeing it that her words had hurt her as Vanessa removed her hand from her shoulder quickly. "Are you just expecting me to stumble around blindly until you think I've earned the right to come home or what?"

"First of all, your eyes will recover, stop being a drama queen. Every specialist you've seen has said the same thing, you just need to rest and keep the glasses on until they're healed. Second off, the whole point is no one knows you out here. No fans or paparazzi to bother you while you rest, and hey, maybe you can work on a new album. I had them send your guitar and keyboard out in case you felt inspired." She said cheerfully, sighing when she immediately tensed at the thought of working on new music. "I know the last single didn't go great with critics, but you can't keep playing your old hits forever. Eventually you have to do something new."

"They said it was a pop garbage shell with a hollow, unfulfilling core Vanessa. They think I'm a sell out." Vesper said softly, leaning forwards to rest her head in her hands. "I know it wasn't my best, but still... I don't know. Maybe I'm worried they're right."

"Now you listen to me. They're wrong and I know you're in a low place right now, but yp4u can't think like that." She said, her tone clearly closing the topic fron futher discussion. Vanessa gripped her shoulder as the bus slowed to a stop so she wouldn't fall forward, carefully gripping her arm and helping her stand up. "Now, I had a team come clean up the place and get it presentable. It's not Zuzu City standards, but its pretty nice for a cottage. I'll have someone come once a week for upkeep and to tidy up for you. In the meantime, please try to relax, okay?"

Wincing in the bright sunlight as they excited the bus, Vanessa let go of her arm as someone approached, probably whoever her manager had contacted about getting the house into a livable condition. Vesper hadn't remembered the deed to her grandfather's old farm until Vanessa had brought it up, talking about how fresh air and getting out of the city would do her good. 

So now Vesper, a musician of some renown who was currently injured and right off the tail of a failed single, was going to live on a farm.

Lovely.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Sebastian

As far as errands went, Sebastian supposed his mother could have asked him to do harder things than help clean up the old cottage that had sat to the west of town unused for most of his life. Usually when Robin asked him to do chores for her it was in a thinly disgused effort to make him go outside to get some sun or to socialize with people around town, so he'd been a little suspicious when she'd asked him to help with her renovating the cottage promising it would just be the two of them and he only had to worry about the interior. For once there had been no other motive so he'd spent the last week or so doing repairs and cleaning the cottage while Robin updated some of the appliances and fixed bigger issues. Considering the lack of upkeep from being sat empty for years they'd had their work cut out for them.

Still, it was the easiest money he'd ever made on ones of his mom's jobs and it earned him brownie points for helping, so he wasn't complaining too much.

"Now, I redid the pathways to the porch to make it more even and replaced the railings like you asked, but if you'd like anything changed be sure to let me know. Its no trouble." He looked up from where he was just finishing sweeping the kitchen as he heard the front door open, his mother's voice carrying inti the house. Putting the cleaning supplies back into the hall closet he hurried to meet her in the entryway, not too thrilled at the idea of running into people he didn't know. He'd hoped to be done before the owner arrived today, but he'd gotten drawn into a lengthy text debate with Sam and Abigail about what sort of music the band Sam was trying to rope them both into joining should play and he'd lost track of time. How his best friends thought he'd want to perform in a bad with his social anxoety how it was, he didn't know, but he hadn't managed to talk them out of it yet. "My son should be around here somewhere, he was big help in getting things cleaned up for your arrival. Oh, here's Sebastain now, good timing."

"Just finished the kitchen." He said as he made his way towards her glancing at the woman beside her in a suit, a smart phone already on hand as she glanced around the room. Ah, so this was a getaway house he guessed, starting to roll his eyes before they fell on her companion just coming in the door. Something about the younger woman standing in front of him broke his heart. Everything about the her posture and the comfy clothes said she wasn't feeling great and was uncomfortable, the other woman reachung over and placing a comforting hand on her arm as he watched leading her farther into the cottage. He couldn't tell where she was looking with the oversized dark glasses she was wearing, but she certainly didn't seem overly impressed given the carefully passive look on her face.

"It looks perfect, thank you. You've done a wonderful job with the place." The business woman said cheerfully, a large smile in place as she looled between them. "I'll have our accountant cut that check for you as soon as I get back to Zuzu City."

"Sounds prefect. We'll get out of your hair and let you settle in, I went ahead and left the boxes that your sent in the back bedroom for you." Robin said, shaking hands with the business woman. She held out her hand to the younger woman who didn't even look down at it, his mother's smile falling slightly as he pulled her hand back. The business one looked up in time to see it happen, a look of worry crossing her face.

"Oh, She can't... She isn't being rude, I swear, it's just..."

"Let me guess, I missed something again?" She sighed, turning her head towards her companion. Sebastian realized she wasn't looking at her really, just turned towards her, realization setting in as she spoke again in a tight voice. "Vanessa, can you lead me to the bedroom? I need a rest."

"Of course, I'll be right back Robin, one second." As they walked away Sebastian hurried over to his mom leaning in close.

"Mom, I think she might be blind." He said softly.

"Oh no, I hope I didn't upset her. Vanessa never said anything,so I just thought..." Robin trailed off, a deep frown settling on her face. Vanessa returned a few minutes later looking more than a little stressed. 

"Sorry about that, I didn't think to inform you before we got here and the bus ride took,more out of her than I expected." She sighed, running a hand through her hair as she spoke. "Vesper had an accident recently that's left her visually impaired for a while. She'll get better according to all her specialists as long as she rests and gives them a chance to heal properly. Bright light or deep shadows make it harder for her to see, and she hasn't really adjusted yet to the glasses."

"Is she going to be okay by herself out here?" Robin asked, clearly worried as she glanced towards the back out of the house where the bedroom was.

"I offered to hire a home healthcare worker to stay with her but she didn't like the idea. Maybe I should have pressed harder, but she's always been so independent I didn't want to push her too much you know?" Vanessa trailed off, a worried look on her face. "She seemed less against having a PA around, but I fired her last one a few weeks ago and haven't gotten a new one for her yet. You wouldn't happen to know anyone in town that would be avaiable for something like that would you?"

"That depends, what exactly are you looking for?"

"Mostly keeping an eye on her and helping her wheb her eyes are feeling too strained or she's having trouble. She refused to set up the text to speech on her phone so maybe sending texts to me, or reading mine to her since reading has been hard for her lately. Maybe getting groceries, that kind of thing." Vanessa explained, looking back down at her phone.

"I mean, I can do that if she wouldn't mind me being around." Sebastian said with a shrug, refusing to look at his mother's slightly surprised face. He couldn't blame her, he wasn't known for being the most social, but something about how sad she'd looked made a surge of protectiveness swell up within him and made him want to help her anyway he could. "I'm between freelance projects so I have time, and we live close by. Plus I know my way around the place since I helped mom fix it up."

"Are you sure honey?" Robin asked. "Its not that I don't think you can do it, but you aren't the most social person."

"He's hired then." Turning they all looked at Vesper's face sticking out of bedroom. "Sorry, one upside of not beibg able to use my eyes as well is my hearing is better. I just need a little help and to be left alone to rest, so talkative isn't really what I need. Vanessa can work out a contract with you. See you tomorrow at 9 am, Sebastian."

As she walked back into the bedroom Vanessa laughed, shaking her head as she turned back to face them both.

"That's probably the most she's said in weeks at one time so... Fuck it, sure, you've got the job." 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian and Vesper start to get to know each other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So unlike my other Stardew Valley Sebastain/reader fic Obsidian and Stone, in this one I'm going for more of an endgame Sebastian who's opened up and matured some before meeting the reader as opposed to being totally stand offish and aloof right away. Wanted to try something a little different this time, hope ya'll like it :)

By the time Sebastian was supposed to arrive the next day, Vesper was already halfway to a bad mood.

She's spent a good chunk of the night before trying to unpack the things Vanessa had sent ahead for her arrival. The clothes had gone okay, but after that she'd found a box of books and video games that had upset her so much she had to walk away. Her vision was blurry at best by that point in the day and,holding what she was sure were her favorites but only seeing smudges of color when she looked at their covers was so frustrationly sad she couldn't bring herself to unpack them.

Thinking it might be best to turn in early after a stressful day she'd crawled into bed only to find that between the ambient spunds of the country she wasn't used to and being in an unfamiliar place sleep wasn't easy. She'd tossed and turned most of the night, finally getting up to try to get a better layout of the cottage by walking around, immediately tripping over the box of books she'd not put back.

She wouldn't admit it if anyone asked, but she'd laid on the floor where she'd fallen for a bit out of shame.

By the point that Vesper peeled herself off the ground the sun was coming up so she went to take a shower. It went fairly well, and standing under the steady stream with her eyes shut for an extended period of time worked out a good bit of the tension she had been feeling. By the time she got out and reopened her eyes she could see a little better, though things were still unfocused and blurrier than she'd like.

Still, she could see the box enough not to trip over it again, so Vesper considered that a success. 

After getting dressed she made her way to the kitchen, dark glasses in her pocket, to try and make some coffee - which is how Sebastian found her almost an hour later when he arrived. The knock at the door startled her more than she'd like to admit, her hands fumbling slightly with her glasses as she pulled them on.

"It's open, come in." She called, not looking up from the coffee machine as she woshed for the thousandth time that this attempt it would auddenly make sense, but to no avail.

"Morning." He said as he entered the kitchen, keeping a careful distance from her which she appreciated. After another few minutes of poking buttons and nothing happening she turned towards the table with a frown, guesturing at the machine.

"Can you figure out how to make this thing work please? I can't convince it to give me coffee." She said in a tight voice, wincing internally. Asking for help had never been pne of her strong suits and after so long depending on only herself and occationally Vanessa it felt unnatural to request assistance, especially over something like figuring out the coffee maker.

"Sure, let me take a look." He said, Vesper sliding a step or two to the side to make room for him. Sebastian politely stayed a step away put of her space once he approached, humming to himself slightly as he poked through the buttons. "Are you wanting a full pot or one cup?"

"I put in enough for a pot I think, but it might be best to check, its been a bit of a rough morning." She sighed, finally giving up and going to sit at the table. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes, listening to the quiet sounds of Sebastian checking the grounds she'd measured out and pressing buttons, letting out her air in a relieved huff when the sound of brewing coffee finally filled the kitchen. "That machine is the devil."

"I've certainly seen less complicated models, thats for sure." He said with a small laugh, the sound of cabinets opening and a mug touching the counter filling her ears. 

"You're welcome to some if you want, I can usually dribk a whole lot myself but we can always put on a second pot later." She said, rubbing at her temples trying to relieve a little of the stress already accumulating.

"Thank you." He said, the sounds of another mug joinung hers on the counter filling the nearly empty room. "How do you take your coffee?"

"Black is fine." She said immediately, though she was unable to stop the slight displeased curl of her mouth. In truth she took quite a bit of sugar and milk, but after so many small failures since she arrived yesterday Vesper didn't feel like dealing with another complicated task. If Sebastian noticed the look of disgust he didn't say anything, a minute or so later placing a cup of coffee close enough to her hand that she could feel the radiating heat of the mug but not touching her. As he took a seat and she picked up her cup she marvelled at how lucky she seemed to have been considering she offered him the job as her PA without really thinking much about it. So far he'd seemed considerate in a way that wasn't overwhelming or undermining her independance for which she was endlessly grateful. 

"I have a few questions if you don't mind." Sebastain said as he sat down, dread filling Vesper's stomach at his words. Here was what she had been afraid of, the inevitable pryong from strangers. _How did you get injured? How bad is it? Why Stardew Valley and Pelican Town? I feel like I recognize you from somewhere... Are you that musician Lunar Lace? Why was your last single so bad? Are you just hiding from the critics? "_ So, just so I'm not insensative by mistake, would you prefer I offer to help with things like fixing your coffee, or only do what you expressly ask me to?"

"...That's seriously your first question?" She asked in surprise, turning to face where his voice was coming from. He was just a blurry outline, dark clothes and hair with a pale face in the middle she couldn't make out distinctly but even she could see how he shifted uncomfortably at her dry tone. "Sorry, I just... Was worried about more... Prying questions."

"Nah, it seemed rude to ask anything personal, its none of my business. If you want me to know, you'll tell me." He shrugged, Vesper shooting him a grateful look as she sipped her coffee. It was hard not to shudder at the bitterness but she thought she pulled it off.

"To be honest, probably just ask. I'm sure Vanessa said but I'm not the best at asking for help and this is all really new to me." She sighed, setting down her coffee carefully. "Just... If I get too short with you over something call me out. I'll try not too but its been hard to let people help me without feeling like I'm being babied and I hate that. You've been pretty accomodating so far so just keep it up."

"Alright, I can do that." He said, pausing to drink some of his own coffee. "Are there any tasks you want me to stay away from ot things you don't want touched or tidied?"

"If I get my laptop out don't move it, but you can shut it if it seems like I'm not using it so it doesn't die." She said, taking another sip of her vile excuse of a coffee. "Oh, and my instruments. I'll probably need help setting the one up, but after that please don't touch them. They're my literal babies."

"All seems doable." He said, standing up to refill his coffee. She saw him pause nearby to see if she needed a refill which she thought was thoughtful of him. "Do you have anything specific you need done now?"

"I have a box or two left to unpack. Mostly books and films that can be put on the shelves in the living room. And probably groceries, since I don't know if Vanessa ordered any ahead. The coffee I had in my bag just in case she forgot, so that might be all that's here."

"Solid priorities all around." He laughed, heading off to retrieve the boxes and drag them into the living room. Unsure of what else to do Vesper dumped her coffee down the sink and followed him into the living room clamboring carefully up onto the couch tucking her legs up underneath herself as she got comfortable. "Last question. Why were you so quick to hire me? You don't really know anything about me."

"Vanessa trusted Robin to fix the house up without ruining what grandpa had wanted for the place, and she brought you on to help since you're her son. Anyone who would offer to help a total stranger like that couldn't be that bad. You offered, and Vanessa isn't the best at picking assistants if my last one was anything to go by." She said, fiddling with a tassle on the throw blanket draped over the back of the couch as she spoke. "Plus, if you did decide to hurt me or something, Vanessa would know who did it so i could be avenged swiftly."

Senastain's choked laugh made her smile, a small laugh of her own escaping. It was nice, having someone around who didn't seem to know who she was. It had been a long time since she'd been around someone who didn't recognize her and all the pressures and loud excitment that cane with that. Laying down across the couch she snuggled in.

"So tell me about the town. Grandpa left me the farm but I haven't been here before." 

"Oh boy, you'll probably be disappointed then. Pelican town is like... Five buildings, tops." He said with a laugh. "We have a small clinic, the saloon, Clint's blacksmith shop, Pierre's general store, a Joja Mart, and the library. I guess Willy's bait and tackle shop too, but that's down on the pier. Other than that it's just a few houses. Mom runs her carpentry shop out of our house, and Marnie's ranch is below your land by the pond. Well, there's also the adventure's guild but that's technically by the mines so its not really in town." 

"Ah, now I can see why Vanessa said I'd have plenty of time to rest. There's not,much to actually do out here, huh?" She asked.

"Not really." He said honestly, Vesper shaking her head in amusement. Trust Vanessa to find her the sleepiest town possible to recuperate. "I mean we have a beach if you're into that kind of thing, and there are eventa and festivals once or twice a season but thats about it." He said, breaking down the first box he'd emptied and turning towards the second one.

"What do you do for fun?" 

"I read comics and sci-fi books, Sam and I play Solarian Chronicles or video games sometimes. There's a pool table at the saloon we get together for once a week." He said, his tone suggesting he seemed nervous about what she'd think of his hobbies but Vesper,just nodded along quietly as he spoke. "That and Sam's trying to rope a few of us into his band he wants to start."

"Do you sing or play?"

"Keyboards, mostly. I don't sing really but sometimes Sam insists I do back up vocals, I don't really like doing them though." He said woth a shrug, turning to look at her sprawled across the couch as he broke down the last empty box. "You said you had instruments right? What about you?"

"I sing, play guitar, and piano. Vanessa sent the keyboard though since its ridiculous to ship a big boy. I'll probably never attempt that again, believe me." She said with a laugh. "Are there groceries at Pierre's? I really don't want to give my money to Joja Mart if I can help it, they're complete bastards."

"Not as much of a variety as Joja or quite as cheap, but its all good quality staples and fresh stuff, yeah."

"Money isn't an issue, so Pierre's it is." Pulling herself off the couch she made her way back to the bedroom, returning a minute later with her purse. Pulling out her wallet she pulled out a few bills and held them out, a little confused when Sebastian merely stared at them but didn't take them. "What, is it not enough?"

"Sorry, it's just... that's like 400 dollars you're waving at me right now." He said quietly, shock clear in his face.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"One'll do then I guess, here." She said, putting the rest back into her purse as he gingerly took the rest from her. "Do you cook at all? Because I never really learned anything other than a grilled cheese."

"I'm decent at it I've been told, but its nothing fancy." He said, Vesper shrugging as she chucled her purse down in the general direction of the coffee table. Given the soft thunk, she'd probably entirely missed and it was somewhere on the rug now instead. "Um..."

"I could have just asked you to put that back huh?" She said in a deadpan voice.

"Yeah, but you would have lost the dramatic flair of throwing it on the floor." He said in amusement, Vesper laughing on spite of herself. "How about I get ingrediants for things I know how to make, grilled cheese stuff for when I'm not here, and some staple ingrediants like cream and sugar for your coffee?"

"Guess I didn't hide how gross having it black was very well then, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe I just think having then on hand would be nice for guests, you never know." He said in a voice that said very clearly he'd been suggesting them for her and her alone. Still, Vesper was amused he tried to play it off to spare her pride, so she just shook her head. "Is there anything you need me for before I head out for groceries?"

"Nah, I should be fine on my own for a bit. Thank you, Sebastian." She smiled, thinking about reaching out to pat his shoulder but thinking better of it. Knowing her luck, she'd hit him in the face. After he'd left she felt arpund the floor for her purse, muttering under he breath at her own stupidity as she went. He'd been very polite about not calling out her weirdness, she had to admit.

Vesper couldn't help but wonder how long that would last.

  
  


* * * * *

  
  


Pierre was just ringing up Sebastian's groceries when Abigail wandered out of the back room, his friend immediately surveying the situation with amusement and confusion.

"Did you decide to become a chef last night or am I missing something?" She asked, rolling her eyes when his only response was to stick his tongue out at her. "Fine, keep your foodie secrets. Are you coming to Sam's later for band practice?"

"Maybe, I'll have to see." He said with a shrug, frowning when she looked at him expectantly.

"Sam'll freak if you skip."

"I have a new job right now so I don't know if I can make it yet." He said, thanking Pierre as he tucked the change into his jeans pocket to give back to Vesper. 

"You're a programmer, just work on it later." She sighed, rolling her eyes. Sebastian's shoulders tensed up immediately, strugglinf and failing not to get defensive at her flippant view of his freelance work. The bell above the door went off as Robin entered. Taking his bags off the counter he left without another word, Abigail rolling her eyes at his back. "I don't know why he got defensive, its not like programming has specific work hours."

"Oh, he didn't tell you? He's got a different job going right now helping out the new owner of the old farm outside town while she recovers from an injury." Robin said as she approached the counter with her purchases.

"Oof, I guess I pulled a real dick move huh?"

"ABIGAIL!"

"Sorry Dad."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian learns a few things about Vesper, but someone else is trying to as well whether they know it or not

The rest of the first day had been pretty good, Vesper had to admit. Sebastain had made her a nice lunch over which they'd discussed the contract Vanessa had sent him. Basically, he was contracted to come in the mornings at 9 am, help her out with cleaning up and cooking, then leave after a few hours if she didn't need him for anything but was expected to be on call for emergencies. Since the internet was faster here than in his house, Vesper had already said he was welcome to hang out in the kitchen if he wanted to work any programming gigs sincr sbe she wouldn't need assistance constantly. The only real disagreement they'd had was over the number Vanessa had offered per hour seemed low to Vesper, but Sebastian had refused her attempts to up it.

He couldn't stop her from having a word with Vanessa about upping it though, not that she was going to bring that up to him.

After that he'd made sure to put his number on speed dial in her phone before heading home for the night. All in all, an okay day. Her eyes weren't hurting too much since she'd kept the curtains shut and stayed indoors so she pulled out her guitar to make sure it was still tuned after being shipped from the city. She hummed along, thoughts filled with half formed lyrics about indigo smiles and undeserved gentleness.

  
  


* * * * *

The next day when Sebastian arrived, the coffee was already brewing, two cups were on the counter ready to go, and the fire alarm was blaring. Cursibg be dropped his bag gebtly on the table abd hurried over to the stove, turning off the burner and tossing the pan currently smoking into the sink as Vesper came tearing back into the room barely missing running into the doorframe, the shoulder of her sweater dropping low and a haggered look on her face.

"Well, seems like its been an eventful morning already." He said calmly as he opened the window over the sink to let the smoke out, taking a deep breath as he felt the adrenaline leave his system. Vesper was quiet as she took a seat at the table, Sebastian frowning at her scrunched up forehead. "You okay?"

"Well I thought I'd managed to make myself some breakfast and turned the burner off so it wouldn't burn while I got dressed but apparently not. I'm just peachy, thanks for asking." She said with a deep sigh, her voice tight as she ran a hand over her face. "God, I can't even scramble eggs now by myself."

"Hey, don't do that. You just made a small mistake." Sebastian said softly, guesturing towards the coffee maker before realizing she probably couldn't see him do so. "The coffee turned out great."

"Joy." 

Biting back the urge to be frustrated at her bitter tone he poured them both mugs of coffee, carefully placing hers near her hand while he got out the milk and a small bowl of sugar for her to stir into hers. They sat in silence for some time, Sebastain unsure what to say to make her feel better as Vesper battled her frustration over feeling like a child and the guilt over how snippy she'd been to him when he'd only been trying to help. Eventually she got up and moved to the fridge, Vesper listening to the tell-tale signs of the egg carton opening as shame filled her at the thought that he was taking pity on her. 

It was a bit of a surprise then when, after getting out ingrediants and a new pan, he sat back down across from her.

"You wanted scrambled eggs, right?"

"Yes?"

"Okay, then make eggs." He said matter-of-factly. Vesper stared in his direction, confusion clear on her face. "You don't want to feel babied, so I'm not doing that. Everything's all set out for you to go again. I'll make sure you click the stove all the way off this time but clearly you know what you're doing. Its an older stove so sometimes the knobs stick."

The eggs turned out well, but even better was the small sense of pride Vesper felt that the second attempt didn't burn down the kitchen. As Sebastian washed the dishes she siddled up behind him, wrapping him up in a hug and leaning her head against his back making him pause.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

They fell into a routine pretty easily after that. Some mornings were harder than others, but most days Sebastian arrived to coffee already going and some simple breakfast dish eother underway or Vesper waiting for his help if she wasn't sure it was something she could do depending on how blurry her vision was that day. After that he usually did a few chores and they talked for a little bit if she was feeling sociable, then he'd either work in the kitchen on some programming while she listened to something in the living room or he'd prep lunch and dinner for her before heading home.

It was a few weeks into the arrangement when he finally asked something that had been bothering him. They'd set up her keyboard early on, but Sebastain never saw her playing either it or the guitar he sometimes saw floating around the house.

"Hey Vesper, why do you never play your instruments when I'm here?" He asked, looking up from his laptop to where she sat at the toehr end of the table buttering some toast. Vesper had frozen at his words, face turned downward so he couldn't see her expression.

"Maybe I'm awful and I don't want to make your ears bleed." She said, smirking as she took a bite of her food when he let out a surprised laugh. "Why, do you want to hear me play?"

"I mean, I am curious. But its not a huge deal if you don't want to." He shrugged, watching her carefully as she considered his words.

"Alright." Standing up she headed back into the bedroom, Sebastian assuming that was her way of ending the conversation as he turned back to his laptop trying not to feel too disappointed. A minute later he heard the unmistakable sound of a guitar being tuned, Sebastian abandoning his computer and hurrying into the living room to find her poised on the edge of the coffee table with her guitar. "Do you have a song in mind, or dealer's choice?"

"I'll leave it up to you." He sat down on the couch, careful to leave room so he didn't get in her way.

"Now, please keep in mind I haven't played in front of anyone since the accident and usually this song calls for a harp not a guitar. Hopefully its not too bad." She said sheepishly, her face slightly worried as she got into a better position to play.

_The underdogs are my lions_

_The silent ones are my choir_

_The women will be my soldiers_

_With the weight of life on their shoulders_

_Drink until you've had enough_

_I'll drink from your hands_

_I will be your warrior_

_I will be your lamb_

Sebastian blinked back sudden tears as she strummed and slipped into beautiful vocalizations, absolutely enraptured as he watched her play. Something about her voice felt so raw and sweet as it washed over him, a soft smile slipping onto his face as she continued.

_Till queendom come_

_Till queendom come_

_My queendom come_

_My queendom come_

Vesper had lost her nerves by this point, the familair joy that she always felt when she was making music flooding her and chasing out all the insecurities she'd been feeling before about not being able to see properly leading to mistakes in her fingerings but she closed her eyes instead, feeling her way through the melody instead.

_The sea waves are my evening gown_

_And the sun on my head is my crown_

_I made this queendom on my own_

_And all the mountains are my throne_

_Drink until you've had enough_

_I'll drink from your hands_

_I will be your warrior_

_I will be your lamb_

Just as she was starting the next verseher phone rang, Vesper jumping so hard she nearly dropped her guitar as Sebastain cursed under his breath and rushed to go get it for her. The calm spell broken, Vesper set her guitar aside as she took the phone he pressed gently into her hand before he headed into the other room to give her some privacy.

His heart was still pounding in his chest, and,for the first time since he'd met her Sebastian was glad Vesper couldn't see very well since it meant she hadn't been able to see his tears. She'd sounded like an angel, as cliche as he knew that was, but he couldn't think of anything else that compaired to how serene her voice had made him feel. Something, maybe the same thing that had ached with her pain when they first met, was alive in him again from her music.

He wanted to hear it again.

"That was Vanessa." He looked over at her in the doorway, worried by the nervousness,in her expression. "She's sending my medical records out here so the clinic in town can take a look at me and see how I'm healing. If its going okay, she wants me to leave the house at least a little bit, but that depends on what the doctor says."

"You know I'll stay with you the whole time, right?" He asked, plased when she immediately nodded. It felt good to know that she knew she could depend on him, a small burst of pride filling Sebastian's chest. "No one in town will pry too hard. For the most part everyone is typical small town polite. And if they do get nosy, I'll deal with them."

He didn't stay much longer after that - Vesper was stressed out about seeing a new doctor and wanted to be alone, which he could understand even if be knew Harvey was a good man and nothing to be afraid of. He headed to Pierre's as he text Sam and Abigail to see if they wanted to hang out for a while, idly flipping through the small selection of magazines as he wanted for a response. 

"Ugh, those tabloids are all trashy, the obly,one who reads them is Haley." Abigail said with a laugh as she joined him, pulling him away and back through the shop towards her room. "She was just in the shop yesterday complaining to Dad that he needed to get the most recent issues in and something about a pop star going on hiatus under suspicious circumstances, I didn't hear who she was taking about though."

"Weird."

"Yeah, I just thought it was interesting she was going conspircay theorist. Either way, it doesn't affect us."

"True. So, wanna play Prairie King until Sam shows up?"

"Obviously."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Vesper sings is Queendom by AURORA (who if you've never listened to her, give her a try, I adore her music) obviously, I don't own that song and all rights belonw to their respective owner


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two bad talks, two good ones. 50% isn't so bad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope people are liking this. I'm getting virtually no feedback conapired to my last Stardew Valley fic so its hard to tell :/

Sebastian wasn't sure what he'd expected when he arrived to escort Vesper to her appointment with Dr. Harvey, but it certainly wasn't a trench coat and large sun hat. Still, as weird as the outfit was it was the returb of the dark glasses she'd been wearing less and less as time went on that gutted him. He wouldn't admit it if pressed, but he already missed being able to see her eyes. 

"I know you haven't left the house in a while, but its not really that cold out in the middle of the summer in Pelican Town." He said, struggling not to laugh as the face turned pink.

"I'm cold, so... There." She said, her voice tight in a way that very clearly said she didn't want to have this conversation, though she did ditch the coat without a word. Shrugging he offered her his arm, slowly leading her down the steps and up the path towards town. "Vanessa confirmed with Dr. Harvey yesterday that my file had arrived so we should be all good there. I don't really know how long this will take, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I'll probably pop next door to Pierre's anyways. Abby was being a brat about somethibg her day said so I might go try to cheer her up." He said, his thumb caressing her hand where he held it in the crook of his arm as theh walked. She'd been tense for the last two days leading up to this appointment, and it had been devestating to watch her close herself off after soending then last several months watching her slowly open up to him.

It bothered him more and more as time went on that there were so many things he was being left in the dark on. He still didn't know how she'd gotten hurt in the first place. Sebastian had asked her - and his mother, when Vesper wouldn't give him straight answers - why she seemed like she didn't want to be seen by anyone while she was in the valley. He never pushed the issue, and she never seemed angry when he aksed her things, but that didn't mean she always gave hin a truthful answer. Vesper had said everything from it veing because she didn't know anyone to being shy to being afraid sunlight would be bad for her eyes while they healed. Robin seemed like she honestly didn't know, but there was something in her face when he talked abput Vesper that gave him pause.

Something knowing.

It made him nervous for aome reason, he had to admit.

"Welcome to the clinic, I'm... Oh, Sebastian, its you." Maru said, the overly cheer customer serious speale dropping immediately as the pair entered the clinic. "Who's this?"

"Vesper, I should have an appointment with Dr. Harvey scheduled." She said, smiling gratefully up at Sebastain as he helped her settlr,into one of the plastic chairs in the waiting room. "I believe all my paperwork should havr already been handled?"

"Let me just check, then I can go makensure Harvey's ready to see you." She said turning to the computer. It was hard to contain his snort at her words - he'd literally never heard of two townsfolk trying to get in to see Harvey at the same time and the clinic was almost always empty. After a minute she slipped out the door and into the back, returning a minute later into the waiting room. "Dr. Harvey can see you now of you want to follow me."

"Do you need me to walk you back?" He asked quietly, shooting Maru a dirty look when she raised an eyebrow at him.

"No, I'm a little less blurry today than yesterday, I think I can manage but thank you." She said, squeezing his hand before she stood to follow Maru slowly into the back.

He stood standing for a few moments, but wether it was from nerves about leaving Vesper alone or just the fact that he wanted to get Maru's inevitable interrogation out of the way he wasn't sure. When his step-sister returned she shot him a look he couldn't quite read but recognized a mile away as the same sort Robin shot him sometimes lately. In other words, it was infuriating.

"Spit it out, I have other things to do and I know you have to say something." He sighed.

"So when Mom said you were helping out as an assistant to someone, I thought she meant someone like George, not a pretty new girl." Maru said, her voice teasing. Sebastian felt his face flush at her words immediately.

"Shut up. She needed help and I needed a job, that's all it is." He snapped, Maru giving him a look that said she clearly didn't believe him. "Don't even start that."

"I thought you'd never get over Abigail but look at you, moving on." She said, raising an eyebrow when he cursed at her. "Does she know this is a rebound, or it is just to make Abigail jealous?"

"Fuck off, it's not like that. You're deliberately being a bitch about me doing a nice thing for someone else." He said, careful to keep his voice low. Placing his hands on the desk he leaned forward towards her, a viscious smirk on his face. "I wonder what Haley and Alex would think of all the pages of your diary where you've drawn hearts around his name?"

"Don't you dare!"

"Then stay put of ny business and leave Vesper alone." He snapped, storming out of the clinic and straight through Pierre's back to Abigal's room. She didn't seem fazed by his angry appearence, setting down her game controller as he flopped down face first onto the bed next to her with a loud groan.

"Damn, and I thought I was having a bad day. What happened to you?" She asked.

"Maru." 

"Spill."

Sebastain told her what had happened, trying to gloss over the parts Maru had said about her but it was clear from Abby's expression that she understood what he'd left out. She was the only person other than Robin that he ever talked to about Vesper, partly because he knew how Sam would be about it - he was a guy with very little subtlety when it came to girls - and partly because wanted to respect how much of a private person he knew Vesper to be. As he talked Abby listened intently, running his back or playing with his hair a she spoke. It was calming, and by the time he felt he'd fully explained, all the rage he'd been feeling when he arrived was gone.

"So... Do you like her? She asked, Sebastain groaning as he rolled back ovet to shove his face into the comforter. "Stop, its a serious question. Its been a season or so since she got here and you spend a lot of time with her, plus I can tell the days she's had it rough because you're sad after you go to see her."

"Really?" He askes softly, looking up into her face.

"Yes, you do. And if its been a really good day, you seem happier. Sam probably wouldn't have noticed, but to be fair, he doesb't notice most things." She said with a laugh, Sebastian snickering in agreement. "So, do you or don't you like her?"

"I haven't let myself consider it to be honest." He said in a quiet voice, a deep frown crossing his face. "It'd be really unethical wouldn't it, since I'm her assistant? Plus, she doesn't even know what I look like." 

"Then wait to say anything until she's all healed and ask her on a date then." Abby shrugged. "Fuck, you act like you're a troll tricking a blind girl into loving him. For one, that's a little rude, and two, you aren't hideous. I dated you, remember?"

"Okay, so assume I do wait to talk to her about these supposed feelingd, she won't be here forever. At some point she'll go back to the city, to her life." 

"Then go with her."

"What?" He looked up in surprise to find Abigial looking unusually serious. "You're not joking?"

"No, I'm not. We all know you want to move to the city anyways, why not have that dream coinside with this new one?" She asked with a smile, ruffling gis hair when all he did was stare up at her in awe. "What arentou so afraid of?"

"That she doesn't like me back." He said, looking away from her as his chest tightened in anxiety. "And that... That Maru could be right."

Silence stretched between them for a minute before Abigail burst out laughing.

"That's bullshit and you know it. Mary was just saying what she knew would hurt you." Abby said, rolling her eyes when he continued to look helpless. "Be real, do you still have feelings for me?"

"No."

"So what would be the point of a rebound?" She asked, Sebastian shaking his head as she laughed again. "Seb, we didn't have a bad break up, we both realized we made better friends than partners. I know you get lonely sometimes though, and Maru can probably see that too. She was just trying to get to you. Besides, I moved on. Even if the plan was to make me jealous, it wouldn't work."

"You actually going to ask Emily out then?" He asked, smirking when her face went bright pink immediately.

"I'm... Working on that still."

"God, we're both fucking messes."

"Duh. It's why we get along so well."

  
  


* * * * *

  
  


"...As you can see here on this x-ray, the swelling of your frontal lobe has drastically reduced since you took time off to rest.

"So we're still on track with my recovery?" Vesper asked, her hands twisting nervously in her lap. Not for the first time she wished she'd let Sebastian come in with her so she could hold his hand through all this.

"Yes, I'd say so. With the swelling going down it should release the pressure on the vision sector of your brain allowing your eyes to relax and go back to normal. It looks like it might be some time yet before that happens, but your progress had been good and strady so far." He explained, tucking her scans into her file to be put away.

"Am I okay to be out in the sunlight yet?"

"You should be as long as you keep your glasses on. If at any point while outside it starts to be painful or give you a headache, go back inside as soon as possible and try to sit in the dark. As long as you're careful though and don't push yourself too hard, I'd say you should be okay. Do you have any other questions for me?"

"No, I think that covers it."

"Then we'll call the appointment there." He said, patting ber gently on the knee as he stood up to lead her back out into the waiting room. "If you need anything else don't hesitate to come back in or have Sebastain call."

"Thank you, Dr. Harvey." As she left the clinic she bumped into someone, appologizing immediately and clutching her glassed to her face so they didn't fly off. "I'm so sorry!"

"Oh my God, watch where you're going! I almost fell and got mud on my new skirt." Haley snapped, brushing down her skirt as she spoke, when she looked back up she stopped huffing, her eyebrows knitting together. "Um, do we know each other? You look really familiar from somewhere."

"Sorry I'm late, we got to talking and I lost track of time." Sebastain said as he rushed right past Haley to take Vesper's arm. Glancing at the blonde he raised and eyebrow, turning back to take in Vesper's slightly panicked expression. "Is something wrong?"

"Nope, I just bumped into her, let's head home now please. Nice meeting you, miss."

As Sebastian let himself be dragged away down the path towards the farm he wasn't sure who looked more confused, himself or Haley.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several phon calls later, and things are finally going back to normal. Or are they?

He could do this, he had to. Sebastian hit send and raise the phone to his ear nervously.

_"Vanessa speaking."_

"Hey Vanessa, its Sebastian? You hired em to be Vesper's personal assitant?" He said uncertianly, half worried she might have forgotten who he was. 

_"I remember you. If its about the raise you can argue with Vesper aboit it. She was quite insistent ai push it through though so I dpubt you'll win."_

"That's not... Wait what raise?" He asked, raising an eyebrow when she let out a deep sigh.

_"Fuck. Ignore that or Vesper will absolutely kill me_."

"I... Whatever, that's not why I called. Have you spoken to Vesper recently?" He asked, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. Judging by the quiet curse Vanessa let out he might have failed.

_"Not since her doctor's appointment when she gave me an update, why?"_

"She hasn't really spoken more than a few words since then even though it's been over a week, and she keep spending more and more time alone. She has me make her lunch and then tells me I can leave or goes and locks herself in her bedroom. I... Im getting worried. Did Harvey find someone wrong? Did she tell you anything?" He asked, giving up trying to be calm as panic started to overwhelm him. What if she was dying? Why wouldn't she tell him?

_"Her diagnosis was good from what she said. Let me call her and see if I can figure out what's going on with her, okay? She's probably just being moody so try not to worry too much."_

After a minute or so of pleasantries Sebastain hung up, unsure if he was supposed to feel better or worse after talking to Vanessa.

Across town, Vesper was about to have the same problem.

"Hello?"

_"What the fuck is wrong with you?"_

"You're going to have to be mote,specific than that." Vesper sighed, rolling her eyes as she dragged her feet into the kitcheb to make another cup of coffee. She'd had a lot more headaches recently, probably from how bright she'd been keeping the house in an effort to be able to do things herself after she sent Sebastain home earlier and earlier everyday. Her died was definitely feeling the pain, that was for sure. If she ate another grilled cheese she'd probably cry. "Do you want a comprehensive list, or just high lights?"

_"Ha ha very funny."_

"So to what do I owe this very shitty phone call?" She asked, annoyance seeping into her tone at her manager's passive agressive attitude.

_"Sebastian."_

"Oh." She said, swallowing against the sudden lump in her throat. Steadying herself against the counter she grasped the edge hard enough for her knuckles to go white. Deep down she'd been worroed about something like this happening. "Let me guess, he wants to quit."

_"What, no? He called because he was worried about you and you're being a bitch - my words, not his."_

"If he had called me a bitch, I probably would have accepted that, I deserve it." Vesper said, leaning down to rest her forehead agaubst the counter as her emotioned see-sawed in her chest. So she hadn't driven hum away just yet, huh? She couldn't decide if she should be relieved or worried about how much shit he was willing to deal with without running from her. "Look, I know it doesn't excuse me,making him worry but I had my reasons."

_"Which were?"_

"Some blonde in town almost recognized me as I was leaving the clinic." She said softly, almost smiling when Vanessa,started cursing colorfully on the other end. 

_"You know its your own fault for being too famous for anonymity."_

"Says the manager who got me there." She said, a small laugh escaping her as she stood back up to finish making her coffee. "She thought I looked familiar and I panicked. I haven't left the house since."

_"I mean, I get that somewhat even if I don't think its good for you to never go outside, but why are you pushing Sebastian away?"_

"Because... I feel like I'm lying to him everyday." She said softly, willing herself not to cry as she took her mug,over to the table to sit down. Her coffee was too bitter when she took a sip. She didn't bother getting back up to fix it. "He doesn't know who I am, not really. And once I'm better and go home, I'm going to really miss him."

_"So what, you figured cut ties now so it'll hurt less?"_

"Maybe."

_"And how's that working out for you?"_

Vesper didn't have a response for that.

  
  


* * * * *

  
  


The first thing Sebastain heard the next morning was the soft strumming of the guitar instead of the stony silence he'd come to expect recently.

As he let himself into the house he made his way to the kitchen to give Vesper some space, surprised to find a cup of coffee and scrambled eggs left for him in front of his usual seat. As he sat down and had his breakfast he listened to the sounds of music drifting from somewhere deeper in the house, raising an eyebrow when it stopped suddenly for a few,seconds only,to restart again in a slightly different key. Once he had bought himself as much time as he could putting things away and cleaning every inch of the kitchen he could, Sebastian cautiously made his way out into the living room where Vesper was perched with her guitar, her laptop open beside her running some kind of program he didn't recognize.

"Good morning."

"Uh... Hi." He said, trying not to sound too surprised but obviously failing if her deep sigh was anything to go by. "Thanks for breakfast."

"Its the least I could do after being such an asshole to you, and don't say I wasn't, because Vanessa called already." She said, still inputting something into the computer as she spoke. He shifted awkwardly in place. She didn't sound mad, but the worry that he'd overstepped was still there. "It was a wake up call of sorts, and obe I really needed, so thank you. And... I'm sorry if I worried you. I wans't thinking."

"So are we... Okay, then?" He asked, feeling foolish the moment he said it.

"Always." She said, turning her face towards him with a smile that made his heart clench in his chest. "So... I've been putting it off but Dr. Harvey said I should be fine to go outside as long as I respect my limitations and head back inside if I start to have problems. I don't think I'm up for it today but maybe tomorrow?"

"Sounds great." He smiled, relief flooding him as she went back to playing the guitar and humming gently.

Things were finally going back to normal.

  
  


* * * * *

  
  


Across town, Haley sat on her bed scrolling through Twitter, a delicate frown on her face. That girl she'd run into in town with Sebastian was still bothering her. They might have run off without saying anything, but Haley knew she'd seen her somewhete before.

And she wasn't going to stop looking until she remembered.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm

The beach at the south side of Pelican town wasn't much as far as beaches go, or at least, Sebastain hadn't thought it was. But watching the sheer joy wash over Vesper's face as she squidged her toes in the sand had him reconsidering.

"God, it's been forever since I've been to a beach!" She said, excitement clear in her voice as they made their way towards the shoreline together. "I didn't even realize this place had one!"

"Yeah, its kind of small, but I guess I kind of took it for granted since I've lived here my whole life." He said, spreading out the blanket they'd brought alone and setting down the picnic basket of snacks in one corner farthest from the water's edge. "Isn't there a beach nearby Zuzu City?"

"Yes, but its always really crowded and I don't want... Well... I don't do well well with crowds?" She finished, wincing slightly at her obvious attempts to lie. Sebastian acted like he didn't notice but kept a close eye on her just in case as she stood in the surf. He didn't want to push her, but he couldn't lie that since going into town the first time she'd occasionally given him some shifty answers, like when he'd tried to ask what had happened with Haley.

"Well I'll bring you here anytime you like. It's midsummer now so we still have some good sunny days left, and its not so bad in fall as long as you don't get in the water once it starts to get really cold." He said, his heart clenching at the smile she shot him over her shoulder.

"I'm surprised more people aren't out here, its such nice weather today." She said, smiling as she dropped onto the blanket beside Sebastian.

"Alex usually comes down in the mornings to practice gridball, and Sam brings his brother out in the later afternoons once the sun's not as high in the sky, but not a lot of people hang,out at the beach unless its for the luau or the Dance of the Midnight Jellies." He said with a shrug, pulling out a water bottle for himself as he spoke. "Well, Haley cones down to tan sometimes, but she keeps to herself."

Vesper stiffened noticebly, shrugging it off as her eyes bothering her when he tried to ask what was wrong. He'd noticed anytime he brought up the blonde that Vesper got particularly aggravated, but she would also sidestep any questions he asked. Still, if she insisted it was nothing important, he wasn't sure he should really pursue it more tha, he already had.

They had a nice time sitting on the sand eating sandwiches and listening to the ocean. When Sam and Vincent showed up she'd gotten tense initially but had calmed down, after a while allowing Vincent to lead her around the beach and bring her shells or little things as he tried to explain them to her.

"She nust have the patience of a saint to deal with him, he never shuts up." Sam sighed, laying on his back on their blanket next tp his friend. "So this is the girl you hang out with all the tine now?"

"Its a job Sam." He said, lettibg out a long suffering sigh as his friend nudged his leg repeatedly.

"Yeah, but a little birdy -"

"Abby?"

"A little birdy named Abgial said you like her." Sam said in a singsong voice, snorting when Sebastian glared down at him. "Are tou going to bring her to the luau next week?"

"I doubt she'd want to come, that's a lot of people and she doesn't like crowds very much." He said, frowning when Sam rolled his eyes.

"Its not that many people, just the town and one governor. Just ask her." He said. "Or what, are you worried she'll say no?"

"Yes, duh. Now drop it." He said, his friend thankfully letting it go as Vesper and Vincent returned to the blanket both carrying a large quantity of shells. Vincet demanded they all buld sandcastles, Vesper sitting nearby to hand out shells for decorations as the other three worked. Pretty soon after that the sun started to set and they called it a day, Sam having to carry his sleepy little brother. As they passed by Emily and Haley's house Vesper froze, her eyes locked on their front door.

"What's wrong?" Sebastain asked, stopping beside her to rest a hand on her elbow. He glanced at the house but found snothing wrong with it, the faint sound of the radio drifting out from the open window of Emily's workroom. 

"Nothing, let's head home." She said, seemingly snapping out of it. Taking his hand she started leading him back towards her house, Sebastain smiling as he followed her.

The radio report continued on drifting into the night around them: _her manager continues to dodge press questions about the singer's whereabouts or recovery, simply stating that Luna is doing well and resting. Still, fans and critics alike are all asking tbe same question, where in the world is Lunar Lace?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had such a hard time with this chapter, which is probably why its so short. I didn't want to keep waiting hoping I would have more inspiration to make this interlude longer so I just left it this length. More coming soon <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haley is having a rough time, but things seem to be going smoothly for Vesper and Sebastian. A little liquid courage always helps

Haley was beyond frustrated. No matter what she did, it seemed like the universe was out to put her in a bad mood. 

First, Alex was being a brat even more than usual lately. He hadn't had much time for her since he started trying to up his practice time and though he tried to act sympathetic when she complained about it Haley could tell he was running out of patience. Sure, she understood that the next round of try outs for the Zuzu City gridball team were coming up but that didn't mean he had to abandon her right? Why couldn't he just take one day off to take her shopping?

Then, her stupid sister. Living with Emily had never been exactly easy but lately she kept asking Haley to do more chores - even though they agreed that her one thing was to deal with the couch cushions every week. She didn't understand why suddenly she had to be the one to do dishes and sort the laundry just so Emily could go make kisses faces at Pierre's emo daughter. That had been a surprise at first, but it wasn't like she cared. She'd honestly thought her sister getting a girlfriend would maybe keep her out of her hair a little bit more but that had backfired dramatically. Now Emily actually wanted her help with things arpund the house so she could have a social life by cutting into Haley's. It was so unfair.

(Still, she knew it was still less than her parents would expect of her if they ever came home, so she tried not to complain too much about her sister. Tried, being the key word)

Next, there was no news on her favorite singer practically going missing out of no where! Like sure, her manager kept saying Luna was fine and just resting, but Haley didn't buy it. There had been paparrazi pictures just before her going dark from that car accident and her being taken to the hospital. Some people online were saying the whole accident had been faked to try and gain sympathy after her last single absolutely tanked - not that critics knew anything about real art, Haley had loved the single - but she didn't believe that for a second.

Finally, there was the weird new girl Robin's emo son was hanging around all the time. She'd seemed so familiar when they'd run into each other at Dr. Harvey's clinic and it still bothered her that she couldn't figure out why. Since then, everytime she saw the girl she got twitchy and weird. A few tines when she'd gone to the beach to tan the emo and her had been there down by the waves, the new girl getting tense and wanting to leave shortly after she showed up without fail. Whatever this girl's problem was with her though, she didn't have time for it.

She needed to find out if her idol was safe.

  
  


* * * * *

  
  


Sebastian wasn't sure how he'd been roped into this.

"Aren't you so happy I made you come along?" Abigail asked with a wide grin, tipsily leaning against his shoulder where he stood against the bar. 

Oh yeah, that was how.

"We're really glad you came along, but we would have understood if you'd said no." Emily said, poking her head around her girlfriend's other side. She looked cute in her 'party dress', as she'd called it, Abby hadn't been able to stop compliemnting her every five minutes since they'd gotten on the bus together for Zuzu City earlier in the evening. "Still, thank you for joining us for my birthday outing. It means a lot."

"Its fine, really." He said, taking a sip of his whiskey and repressing a cringe as Emily raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, so a bar isn't really my scene. But its fun being out with everyone for a change."

"Shame you didn't bring Vesper. Then I bet you would have loosened up huh buddy?" Sam asked, laughing like he'd made the world's best joke. Beside him Penny smiled meekly, confusion clear on her face as she sipped her soda. To be honest, he didn't really understand why Emily had wanted to go to a bar considering neither her nor Penny drank, but he was starting to guess it was either Abby or Emily's out of town friend Sandy who had suggested it based on the amount of fruity cocktails both of them had already downed.

"Who's Vesper?" Penny asked sweetly, blushing bright red when Sam looped an arm over her shoulders snuggling close to her. He'd always been a clingy drinker, but that didn't mean Sebastian wasn't going to tease hjm endlessly for draping himself all over Penny and Sandy ever second.

"The cutie Sebastian's been playing nurse for out on that old farm his mom fixed up last spring." He said, his words the tiniest bit slurred. "It'd be disgusting if it wasn't so cute. He talks about her all the time even if he won't ask her out."

"We've been through this, I work for her, I can't just ask her out. I'm her assistant!" He sighed dramatically, draining his drink and motioning to the bar tender for another immediately. Abby blew a raspberry at him and ruffled his hair. Even drunk she thought he was,being ridiculous about this, clearly. "Besides, she isn't interested in a dumb small town boy like me."

"Lemme tell you something about women, Sebastian." Sandy said, leaning over to boop him on the nose. "Ask her how she feels, and respect whatever she says. The amount of times a man had assumed I was or wasn't into him incorrectly far outweighs the times they were right. Just be ready to accept a no if she gives it."

"Thanks, I guess." He muttered, turning a little pink when Sandy giggled and patted his cheek. 

"Besides, how could anyone turn such a cutie down?" She smirked, punching his cheek as Abby and Emily giggled.

"Ugh, I'm too sober for this." He said, throwing husbhead back in exasperation. A second later someone pressed a glass into his hand which he started sipping on immediately.

"Then drink more so I can give you more of my sage wisdom."

Once they finally got bored of teasing him for crushing on Vesper - and after a few more whiskeys than he probably should have responsibly had - he had to admit he was having a good time. Getting to see a very tipsy Abigail smothering her girlfriend in attenion and kisses was worth whatever headache he'd no doubt have tomorrow. Her drunken retelling of how she'd been so nervous to ask Emily out only to have Emily do it super casually at the saloon one Friday night had been wonderful. Plus, getting to see Sam,try to teach Penny to dance had been really funny. Overall it had been a pretty great trip.

At least, it had been until he'd gotten halfway up the walk to his house from where the bus had dropped thrm all back off in Pelican town to find that he'd forgotten to get his keyring back from Abigail's purse where he'd put it so it wouldn't get lost.

Great.

Now more than a little drunk and unsure, he didn't know where to go. His phone had died on the ride back so he coukdn't just text Abby to,give him his keys back. If he went home and knocked, he was sure to get a talking to from his step'dad and he really wasn't in the mood, plus he didn't need to give Maru anything else to hold over his head. If he'd noticed sooner he could have crashed with Sam or Emily, but by now they'd probably be asleep.

He did have the key he kept tucked in his wallet for Vesper's house though.

He hadn't really ever needed to use it since she never left, so he'd shoved it in his wallet to make sure he didn't lose it since there was limited space on his keyring. Sober Sebastain would have realized immediately that using it now would be a bad idea.

Drunk Sebastian however had other ideas.

That was how ten minutes later Vesper - bleary eyed and with a fluffy robe on over her pajamas - opened her front door to find him kneeling on her front porch having loudly failed mulitple times to muster up the dexterity to get the key into the lock.

"Can I help you?" She asked quietly, raising an eyebriw when he only giggled at her as he struggled to get back to his feet. Sighing she tightened the tie on her robe and helped him up, slightly surprised when he immediatrly latched onto her with a tight hug. The smell of whiskey washed over her as he nuzzled his face into her shoulder. "Oh boy, someone drank a little too much huh?"

"The desert lady said I had to drink so she could give me her wisdom."

"I am way too tired to try and uppack that right now. Okay, in you get big boy." She said softly, slowly leading him inside the house kicking the door shut behind them. He hummed absently to himself as she helped him into the living room pushing him down onto the couch. "I hope your fun was worth tomorrows headache."

"They teased me a lot. And tried to give me dating advice." He said, his words slightly slurred as she helped him out of his jacket. Vesper froze when she stood, knuckled white where she clutched his jacket to her chest as he snuggled down onto the couch. She'd been trying to brace herself for something like this, knowing it was only a matter of time. The fact that someone as kind as Sebastian was still single had always confused her, as had his insistance that he'd only dated once and it hadn't worked out. She had wanted to press but figured that would be rude, figuring as time went by and tbeh got closer that maybe he would open up more about it but he never did. "Liking someone is so hard sometimes."

"Did they give you good advice?" She asked, hoping her voice sounded normal. He didn't seem to notice, too busy struggling to take his shoes off.

"The desert lady said to just tell her how I feel and see what she says but I dont't know." He sighed dramatically, flopping back down after finally managing to kick both shoes off. She'd have to be careful not to trip over them on her way back to bed. "What if they're wrong? What if I mess it all up and she won't ever speak to me again?"

"I don't see how anyone couldn't love you Sebastian. I know I do, and I've been called heartless more times than I can count." She said soothingly even as she felt her own heart breaking in her chest. No matter how much it hurt though, she knew she had to support him. She cared about him too much not to. "You should tell her."

"So you think Vesper likes me back then?" He asked innocently. His eyes were bright and full of hope as they stared up at her, a goofy lopsided smile spreadinf across his face wheb she nodded. "I hope so, I think she's great."

Unable to say anything Vesper tucked him in, not the least bit surprised when he was snoring almost a second later. As she snuggled down into her bed, thoughts full of the sleeping man on her couch, she found herself falling asleep smiling too.

They dreamed of each other, not that either would have admitted it if asked.

Sebastian's first thought the next morning as he woke up to a splitting headache was that he was going to kill Abby, and maybe drown Sam. Emily and Penny hadn't teased him or continued to buy him drinks, so he wasn't abput to blame them. But he was going to grab his motorcycle to drive out to the desert and kill Sandy.

It took him a few minutes to calm down enough to realize the ceiling he was staring murderously at wasn't his bedroom. Panic quickly overtaking the nausea and grouchiness he sat up slowly, unable to decide if he should be relieved or embarrassed beyond believe when he realized where he was. Shuffling into the kitchen he turned pink immediately at the sight of Vesper at her kitchen table with her laptop open and coffee already brewed, a matching mug sitting in his spot next to a bottle of aspirin and some toast. When she looked up, the shy smile she shot him nearly melted his heart.

"Good morning party boy, glad to see you back in the land of the living." She joked quietly, keeping her volume low as he shuffled over to sit down. He mumbled his thanks and took the pills with a grimace.

"I'm really sorry." He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he spoke. "I left my house keys with Abby and somehow remembered I had your spare Vanessa gave me. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"I mean, once I realized it was just you and not someone trying to break in and rob me, I was fine with it. I'd much rather have you sleep it off on my couch than get hurt in the dark strumbling home." She said, reaching over to brush his hair out of his eyes as he took a sip of coffee. "So I have to know, who is the desert lady you kept rambling about?"

"This is so embarrassing." He groaned, leaning forward to rest his face against the table as shr laughed. "That's probably Sandy, Emily's friend who lives out in Calico Desert. She had lots of uh, 'wisdom' to share."

"Do you even remember last night? You were pretty out of it when you got here." She said slowly, Sebastian looking up curiously at her careful phrasing.

"...I remember everything." He said softly, reaching over to rest a hand over hers on the table top.

"Oh."

"Yeah." He said, laughing nervously when she just stared at him completely flabbergasted. "So... I guess we should probably talk, huh?"

"Later. For now, let's just not over think this, okay?" 

"Okay."


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 20 Questions is hard when you've got so much to hide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Almost Halloween, hope you enjoy the chapter :) Finally dropping a little Vesper backstory felt so good!

The rest of the day time seemed to slow to make up for all the lost time they'd suffered pining after each other in silence. Together huddled on the couch with a thin blanket draped over them as they talked, Sebastian tracing idle patterns on the backs of her hands where he held them in his lap.

"Favorite color?"

"Deep burgundy. Favorite food?"

"Pumpkin soup. Favorite movie?"

"The Labyrinth. Favorite game?"

"Solarian Chronicles." He said, Vesper making a mental note to look that up at some point. "Can I ask a deeper question?"

"If you want." She said. Though she kept her voice calm, her heartrate spiked immediately. There were so many minefields for him to select from and he didn't even know it.

"What happened to your eyes?" He asked softly. "You don't have to answer, I just... Vanessa didn't really say and I've been helping you for a while so it felt weird not to know? If thats too personal, I get it, you don't have to answer."

"I was in a car accident. The airbags didn't deploy and I hit ny head on the dashboard which caused some swelling in my brain or something? It basically pressed up against the ocular nerves and cut them off. Medical stuff doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but the important part is that its healing fine and Dr. Harvey has been seeing steady improvement." She said, her stomach twisting at the subtle lies. It felt wrong not to tell Sebastian the whole truth, but there wasn't a casual way to say 'well the assistant the record company I was working with hired for me wasn't vetted properly and was actually a psycho fan that when I turned them down gently cut the brakes in my car and disabled the airbags hoping I would die in a wreck'.

They switched back to gentler questions cor which she was grateful. But even then, it wasn't long before they hit another snag.

"What's your family like?" He asked, Vesper tensing minutely at the question. She'd hoped things like this wouldn't come up immediately, but considering the revelations of last night and earlier in the morning, she figured she owed him at least a few answers. 

"Um... I don't really have much to do with them anymore." She said, discomfort clear in her face. He didn't say abything, giving her hand a gentle squeeze in the silence that followed. Sighing she took a feep breath, figuring it might be best to get it out in the open now rather than have to do it later. Plus compaired to somethings he could ask, this wasn't so bad. Hopefully if she answered this as much as she could, he'd accept a few refusals later if she needed to deflect. "After high school Vanessa and I ran away to Zuzu city and I never spoke to my parents again. My father was a total asshole with a drinking problem, the whole shebang and my mother was a doormat. We had an okay relationship up until I started to talk about going away to college and my future plans. She... didn't think small town girls like me and her should have big dreams because we were doomed to fail and that I should cut my losses so I didn't lose my job at the local diner. No siblings, so once Vanessa and I left, we did it for good."

"I'm really sorry." He said gently, Vesper shooting him a small smile. "My dad died overseas. He was in the army with Sam's dad, Kent. Mom eventually met my stepdad Demetrius, but I was kind of young so I don't really remember how. And then they had Maru."

"What's it like having a sister?"

"Step-sister." He said automatically, wincing when she raised an eyebrow at him curiously. "Sorry. Maru and I don't get along. She's kind of a petty bitch, but she's such a suck up mom doesn't really ever see it."

"Well if you ever want me to knock her ocer and play the low vision card I can." She offered, Sebastian laughing in surprise. "Hey, I can be petty too, when I want to."

"I'd say you tend towards sarcasm more than petty generally." He said slyly, snickering when she shoved his shoulder gently.

"Oh wow, glad you think so highly of me."

"I really do." He said softly, her face going pink at the sincerity in his voice. "...You don't have some great partner back in the city, right?"

"Do I seem like the type to cheat?" She asked slowly, the edges of hurt creeping into her voice. He squeezed her hands again tightly when she tried to pull back.

"Fuck, that came out wrong. No, I don't think that, I just... Don't understand how you're single." He said, Vesper trying very hard not to laugh at his embarrassment. "I mean, I don't get it. You're funny, beautiful, and clever. How in a place like Zuzu city did someone not catch your eye before you came here to the middle of nowhere?"

"I mean, not to get technical but you didn't really catch my eye since I can't see fully. But you're a very attractive fuzzy shape from what I can see so far."

"I take back saying you were clever."

"Aw."

  
  
  


* * * * *

  
  
  


Today, she would tell him the truth.

After a wonderful few weeks spent together watching crappy old movies, going on picnics to the beach or by the lake holding hands, and generally getting to know one another on a more personal level Vesper knew she needed to tell him who she was. Before this went any further. Before he kissed her or told her he loved her. Before he inevitably got his heart broken.

Before _she_ got in too deep.

Well, it was a little later for the last one, she had to admit. For the first time in her life she was head over heels for someone and she didn't know what to do in this largely uncharted territory. Yes, she'd had a few flings before when she was just starting out on the music scene, and there were the carefully constructed public relationships with other stars for publicity - never a thing she instigated, but if someone she respected or admired enough reached out about staging a few nice dinners or casual dates for paparraizzi to misconstrue as something deeper than what it was, she and Vanessa was pretty quick to agree. After all, excuses to dress up and go out was few and far between, and she didn't have any friends other than Vanessa to go it with. Casual things with little to no real feelings she was used to. But this? A real love, where she wanted a future waking up next to Sebastian every single day and everything that entailed? This was new.

She knew she had to tell him everything. Over the last few weeks she'd opened up a little, answered some of his safer questions, but he didn't know what she did for a living or her stage name. He didn't know she had two platinum records on the wall of her penthouse in Zuzu City. Fuck, she hadn't even been completely hobest about her accident. And if he left her... Well, her eyes were almost better, she could probably figure things out on her own from here or go back to the city. Vanessa could probably keep an eye on her while she finished getting better, and she was sure her manager had already made him sign a non-disclosure agreement before hiring him as her assistant, not that Sebastian woumd have understood why that was necessary. She could pick the broken pieces of her heart up off the floor and work through the pain. Hell, she'd already written several beautiful sappy songs about him already aince coming to the valley, she was sure ones about heartbreak from losing him would be just as gorgeous.

He'd become her muse, whether she meant him to or not.

Today, for sure.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the truths you mean to tell don't wait for you to tell them

Sebastian was in a great mood as he made his way to Vesper's house on the morning of the Stardew Valley Fair. He still couldn't believe they were... Whatever they were. They still hadn't talked, and though it occasionally bothered him that Vesper seemed to be purposefully putting it off for some reason, he also had to admit the past few weeks with her had been blissful. So what if they hadn't put a label on things yet? Maybe Vesper had commitment issues she needed to work through and didn't want to rush things? Whatever it was, he could be patient. She was worth it.

He was happy with her in whatever capacity she allowed, so he wasn't going to complain.

He'd been surprised when she agreed to go to the fair with him to be honest. Though he'd gotten her to leave the house a little more and her vision was sharpening back to normal everyday, she'd still been skittish about running into other people. For a while he was worried she didn't want to be seen with him, but she'd allowed him to invite Abby and Sam to. Their various picnics so his friends could get to know her better, so he didn't think she was ashamed of him or anything. Whatever it was that usually worried her, she'd immediately agreed to come to the fair with him when he'd asked over the phone a few days ago. He'd been so busy helping Robin set things up for the fair that he hadn't really been able to spend time with her - he still called every morning to see if she needed help with anything, but she'd been insistant that she was fine with how much her vision had improved recently. Sebastian figured that might have been why she said yes, so that they could spend some time together after being apart for a change. It had been hard being away from her this whole last week, so he was really looking forward to seeing her.

As he rounded the corner he found she was already standing on her porch waiting for him, his face turning pink as he took in how beautiful she was in her pale yellow sundress. His eyes lingered on her face, joy and unease filling him in equal measure as she turned to face him fully.

She wasn't wearing the glasses anymore.

"Hi," he said a little breathlessly as he stopped just short of the porch, eyes locked on her face as she looked over him like she was taking in every detail. On the other hand, he couldn't stop looking at her eyes, taking in the color and the expressiveness of them now that she wasn't wearing her dark glasses. "So this is a surprise."

"I had an appointment with Dr. Harvey a few days ago and he agrees they're almost fully back to normal so I should be fine without the glasses. This last week things have really sharpened. I was going to tell you, but you were so busy and I knew you'd stress about it so I figured surprising you might be best." She smiled, skipping down the porch to loop her arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. "I don't know why you'd be worried though, you were cute as a fuzzy shape but not that I can see you fully you're gorgeous."

"Ugh stop," he muttered, burrying his face in her hair as it turned bright red with giddy embarrassment. "Okay, so I was maybe a little worried. But I'll try not be from now on."

"I'll tell you you're handsome as often as you need until you believe me." She said with a smile, reaching up on her tipties to kiss his cheek. Taking his hand she started down the path, a wide smile on her face. "C'mon, I don't want to miss anything!"

Yeah, it was going to be a great day.

  
  


* * * * *

  
  


Okay, so maybe she misjudged some things. For one, she'd assumed Sebastian would be cute, but had been a little floored at how attractive she found him once she coild see him properly. She was definitely going to have to give Vanessa endless shit for not giving her a heads up at all - speaking of she needed to let her know what was going on with Sebastian. As her closest friend besides simply being her manager, she knew Vanessa would want to know.

The second thing though was worse. There were so many more people than she'd been expecting. From what Sebastain said there shouldn't have been this many people in town. Then, as he started leading her farther into the center of town to where his mother had her tables set up, she saw the cameras and backpacks many of the people had.

Tourists, there were tourists. She was fucked.

"Vesper?" She blinked, looking up at Sebastian where he'd pulled them to a stop. They were behind some tents, reasonably shaded from the sun and the thin crowd milling about town. "Are you okay? You looked freaked out all the sudden. Is it your eyes?"

For a second she considered how,easy it woumd be to lie, to say it was her eyes.

"No, it's not." She said, swallowing against the lump forming in her throat. "Listen, there's something I need to tell you and have for a while. I was planning on doing it today, but I didn't anticipate a crowd like this and now I'm just worried it might... That someone will... Fuck why is this so hard?"

"Hey, its okay, whatever it is I'm aure it can't be that bad." He said softly, chucking slightly when she shot him a doubtful look. Cupping her dace in his hands he pressed their foreheads together gently. "You know I love you, right?" 

Oh.

Before she ckukd restart her brain and get her thoughts back in order he was kissing her, his lips so gentle against hers that it brought tears to her eyes. She knew it wasn't fair, that she'd promised herself she'd tell him before things got this far and she'd clearl failed at that but Vesper couldn't stop herself from kissing back, from holding her hands over his gently. When he pulled back he looked just as unsteady and dazzled as she felt, Sebastian letting out a watery laugh as she leaned in for another kiss.

"Oh my God."

A flash went off, and Vesper's blood ran cold.

She pulled back from Sebastian to see a few teenage girls standing abput ten feet away holding phones up in their direction, her heart skipping a beat as they started to scream and take more photos.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Sebastain asked incredulously, Vesper feeling tears gather in her eyes as he wrapped himself around her shielsing her from view. "Go away!"

"Luna! Oh my God its really Luna!"

"Is this your boyfriend? Is this where you've been the whole time?"

"Will you take a selfy with me?! My friend will never believe this!"

"I don't know what the fuck is happening, but I can get ou guys out of here." Vesper looked behind her at Abigail holding up the back of a tent. Pulling Sebastian with her they followed her through the tents, Vesper very aware of the growing shouta of her stage name as they weaved through town finally reaching a big metal door in the ground labelled sewer. Abby lifted the door and ushered them in, quickly locking the door behind them as they climbed down deeper into the sewer. As they did, a little black creature stuck its head around the corner looking confused. "Hey Krobus, it's just me and some friends."

Krobus nodded, toddling off back down the hallway as Abigail led them the opposite reaction. 

"My dad always said poking around would get me in trouble one day. Looks like I proved him wrong huh?" She said, her smile fading when she took in the devestated look on Vesper's face, Sebastian meeting her confused gaze with one of his own. "This let's out at the edge of the spring onion field near Marnie's ranch sp it should be straight up to your farmhouse from there."

"Thanks." Vesper said softly, not looking at either of them as she started for the ladder out only stopping when Sebastian gently grabbed her wrist.

"What... was that back there? And did it have anything to do with what you needed to tell me?" He asked. Though his voice was calm, there was a quaver to it that made Vesper's heart pound hard in her chest. "Who's Luna?"

"I knew you looked familiar."

They all turned and looked at Haley, her face bright pink with excitement as she brandished a phone in Vesper's direction. Vesper tensed as she hurried over and put an arm around her shoulder hugging her tightly, wincing when she took a selfy of the two of them.

"What the fuck is happening?!" Sebastian snapped, Abigail resting a hand on his shoulder to attempt to keep him calm.

"You were caught sucking face with a famous musician and its all over Twitter already, you lucky asshole!" Haley said with a giggle, both arms still wrapped arpund Vesper's shoulders. "Why does he keep calling you Vesper, Luna? Oh my God, is that your real name? Of course you have a stage name, that's so smart!"

"Oh holy shit." Abigial said softly, turning whatever she was looking at on her phone towards Sebastian. Vesper couldn't see what it was from here but she had a good idea, watching as his face went a little pale as he took it all in. 

"I was going to tell you, today. I didn't know tourists would be there or I wouldn't have... I should have..." 

Vesper wasn't surprised when Sebastian turned and walked away without a word, but it still hurt.

* * * * *

_"I'm assuming this call has something to do with all the pictures I just saw on Twitter of you and a certain boy kissing and then running through a coubtry fair together?"_

"Pretty much."

_"I had Sebastian sigh an NDA when you started working for you so that's all fine. How are you wanting to handle this circus?"_

"I don't care."

" _Vesper_ -"

"Just send a car. I want to go home."

The call ended abruptly.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world doesn't wait for you to get your head on straight

For the first time in her life, Abigail was truly at a loss. She looked over at Emily sitting nearby on the couch in Sebastian's room giving them distance while still being supportive, her girlfriend shrugging when they locked eyes. It had been a several hours since their friend had found out he was sort of dating a famous musician - which meant it had been several hours of Google searches, checking Twitter mentions, and reasing interview articles Vesper had done as her stage persona Luna of Lunar Lace. With everything he'd read he'd gotten quieter and paler, Abigail finally taking his phone from his hand and putting it out of reach but all that had done was send him into a stage of silently hugging a pillow to his chest.

"Seb, maybe you should try and get some sleep. We can... We can figure this out tomorrow, really. " She tried, frown deepening when he didn't really respond. Emily stood and made her way over to the bed they were huddled on, a sad look on her face. "Do you want to talk?"

He shook his head, face dissapearing into the pillow he held.

"How about we give him some space to process? Its been a long day and maybe it would be good to let him think by himself for,a bit. We can, like you said, be here tomorrow to figure this out if he wants. Does that sound okay Sebastian?" She suggested, Sebastian nodding without looking up at either of them. Helping Abby up they left the room, the sounds of them speaking softy upstairs to Robin drifting down the stairs as Sebastian got ip and grabbed hia phone before returning to bed to reread things he'd already read hoping this time to digest them but knowing that was impossible.

Vesper went by Luna, and he couldn't find any proof of whether it was her stage name or if Vesper was the fake name. 

She was a musician with two platinum records and a single from before coming to the Valley that was pretty mediocre.

No one knew anything about the accident she'd had or how she'd been blinded - and he didn't know if what she'd told him was true or only part of the truth.

He wasn't sure he knew her at all anymore.

She'd dated other famous people, including movie stars and other singers.

The last one was where he kept getting stuck, tears rising in his eyes as he finally set his phone aside and laid down even though he knew sleep was a long time coming. After all, how could someone like that be interested in someone like him?

* * * * *

Reporter had arrived to Pelican Town. 

Sebastian awoke early in the morning the day after the Stardew Fair to hear a huge clamoring sound upstairs and his stepfather shouting. Blearily he started up the stairs only for his mother to stop him, shaking her head and gently guiding him back down the stairs with an arm around his shoulders.

"What's going on?" He asked, surpressing a yawn as they entered his room.

"There are reporters at the door wanting to speak with you." She said softly, her voice soft but guarded. That certianly shook him awake, her son blinking at her in absolute confusion. "They think there's a story there after the pictures those girls got of the pair of you yesterday and from the sounds of it Vesper's been able to avoid apeaking to any of them so far."

"Luna."

"What?" Robin blinked, confusion now on her face.

"Her name isn't Vesper. Or it is, but she goes by Luna. I don't know which is true." He said, rubbing a hand over his eyes as he spoke. "God, why do they want to talk to me? I didn't want any of this!"

"Should have thought of that before kissing a rockstar." Maru called down the stairs, Sebastian repressing the urge to scream at her only because,their mother was standing rifhr next to them.

"Maru, go to your room this instant." Robin snapped back, her small gasp making Sebastian smirk a little. Turning back to her son Robin sighed, taking him by the shoulders. "Look, whatever was or wasn't said between you and Vesper is yoir own business. Your father and I will do our best to keep the reporters away... And I'll speak to your sister, who is definitely grounded when I get up there for standing on the stairs to snoop insteas of doing what I said to do." 

"...Shit."

Later in the evening once the reporters had all left - or been run off by the combination of several neighbors showing up to form a line keeping them from getting too close to the house and then Sam and Abigail wearing hockey masks and wielding swords of all things arrived to chase off the stragglers (which would have been bad if there were any cops in the Valley) - Sebastian made his way down the familiar path to the farmhouse alone. Several people had offered to come along, including his best friends and his mother, but in the end he had decided this was something he needed to do alone. Especially if he wanted to get her to talk.

Especially if he wanted the truth.

He knew something was wrong the minute the house came into view because from what he could see all the lights were off. Making his way to the front door he found it locked, his hands shaking slighlty as he knocked and waited.

And waited.

Worry clouded his mind as he pulled out the spare key to the front door and let himself in, calling out for Vesper as he entered but hearing no reply. Flipping on the hall light he glanced around, swallowing as he took it all in: the empty shelves in the living room, the instruments were gone, the bed stripped,back to sheets and the dresser empty of clothes. Tears rose in his eyes as he made his way to the kitchen.

It was the only room with anything left in it, a large box sitting on the kitchen table with a letter sitting on top of it addressed to him. Sitting down shakily he took the letter, unsure if he really wanted to open it but knowing he needed it. 

_Sebastian,_

_I honestly don't know if you'll ever read this since you're the one that walked away when I tried to explain, not that I blame you at all for that. I deserved it._

_I wanted to tell you about who I was for a long time but I was so worried about losing you, not that I managed to avoid that. I know there is a lot I didn't tell you and that several things I did were big things. Vesper is my real name, I only go by Luna for work. I came out to the valley to heal up from a car accident like I told you, but there was more to it that what I said. Everything I said about my family was true._

_And I did love you, even if I never got a chance to tell you. I didn't want to say it until after I told you who I was, it didn't feel right for you not to know what you were getting into since my life has been a circus for such a long time._

_Anyway, I guess it doesn't matter now._

_The gift is for you, it was meant to be for your birthday coming up since you said you wamted to take your bike out more befote it got too cold. I hope you can still enjoy it even knowing it was from me._

_All my love,_

_Vesper_

Opening the box he let out a weak laugh, fingers trailing over the beautiful leather jacket sitting inside. Tugging it out he held it to his chest, eyes watering. Alone in the kitchen, Sebastian let himself cry.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time passes and the truth becomes clear

Seasons changed in the valley, a crisp autumn slipping into a bitingly cold winter. 

Sebastian wore the jacket Vesper had left for him everywhere, a bittersweet reminder of what he'd let slip away from him. No matter how much Abigail and his mother tried to convince him to, he refused to call or text her saying he didn't feel like he deserved it after how he had acted. At the end of the day, he'd been the one to walk away first and he couldn't blame her for leaving like she had after his refusal to listen. Besides, he reasoned, the phone worked both ways. She hadn't contacted him past the letter she left behind.

In the city, Vanessa worried about her best friend almost constantly. After a few days of Vesper staring blankly at walls and crying she'd taken to locking herself in her home recording studio day in and day out working through her feelings at the exclusion of almost anything else. After a week of watching her fade away Vanessa started staying at tbe penthouse with her fulltime in the guest room to make sure her friend at least slept a little and ate something on a schedule, her hands always clutched to her phone trting desperately not to interfere and call Sebastian to try and fix this - but she didn't meddle, choosing instead to let Vesper ride this out and merely be there to help where she could. 

Vesper toiled away at a new album, chipped away at her grief in the best way she knew how. Eventually she reached the botton of it, and hollowed out from the pain, she remembered the love that had caused it.

She worked, and reminded herself of the good she'd lost but would always cherish.

After being caught hiding in Stardew Valley in fall, there had been no word or sightings of Luna all winter. Then, in a move that surprised both fans and critics alike, she had emerged early in spring with news of a new album and tour scheduled for the end of the season stretching into early summer. She still hadn't been spotted by paparrazzi anywhere since the announcement - Vanessa knew she never left the penthouse anymore even though she'd been going back to normal somewhat as the alvum came together - but today was her first scheduled interview since the accident.

Vanessa, as both her manager and friend, had been against it

.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to, you know." Vanessa said softly, eyebrows pulled together in worry as she watched the studio make-up artist finish up with Vesper. "You don't owe him anything."

"I feel like I do though, even if its just an explanation." She said, looking up to meet her friend's eyes in the mirror. "I just want everything out in the open before the tour so there's no speculation. And... I need to move on."

"At least let me give them a list of off limo3ts questions, for your sake." She begged, annoyed by the amused look the make-up artist shot her. Rolling her eyes she dismissed her, waiting until they were alone to continue. "You were in rough shape when you got back to the city. It was hard, watching you pick up the pieces. I don't want to see tou go through that again."

"I'm sorry I put you throught that."

"That's not the point -"

"Nessa, I need to do this. Please trust me."

"...okay."

* * * * *

Sebastian knew it was going to be a bad day the minute he opened the door to find Haley on the doorstep.

"Are you going to ket me in or what?" She asked, rolling her eyes when he didn't move.

"Why should I?" He asked, glaring at her as he spoke. He knew it wasn't her fault, but she'd been there when everything with Vesper fell apart, and on some level he couldn't forgive her for that. 

"Because it's important and I'm actually trying to help?" She said, raising an eyebrow at him when be stared at her blankly. "Look, I have something you need to see because I'm 100% sure you didn't watch it on your own knowing you and I think you need to hear it."

"She's right, as much as I hate to admit it." Glancig passed Haley at the two approaching figured he raised an eyebrow, Emily and Abby both looking just as earnest as Haley. "You need to see this."

"Told you so." Haley said in victory as Sebastian moved aside to let them all in, Abigail leading the way down to his bedroom to start fiddling with tbe tv.

"You might want to sit for this." Emily said, gently nudging him down onti the couch as Haley connected her phone to the tv and pulled up a video. "And trust us, you need to watch the whole thing, even if it seems hard at first."

He didn't have a single clue what was going on but as the video started and he saw her face again for the first time since fall, he felt understanding and heartbreak flood him both in equal measure.

Vesper looked thinned than he remembered, her features sharper in a way that worried him. It was clear that she hadn't been taking care of herself, and though the make-up distracted from it he knew her too well not to notice how it looked like she hadn't had a good night's sleep since leaving the valley.

_"So Luna, you have to know how surprising all this has been for fans and the media alike. First you went dark after rumors of an accident, then you're spotted at a farmtown festival befote disappearing again, to now return with a full album and a tour." The talk show host said, Vesper nodding along from across the desk. "Clearly some things have been going on with you."_

_"Its been a long year." She said with a small laugh, her hands twisting in her lap. "But that's why I wanted to do this interview and set some things straight before the tour."_

_"Wonderful! Well starting at the beginning, your sudden dissapearance. It was never confirmed what happened, some people claiming you'd been in an accident while others saying it was merely a stunt after how poorly your last single was recieved."_

_"While it wasn't my best work, I didn't think it was worth going into hiding over." She said cheekily, the audience and host laughing. "I was in an accident, but I couldn't talk about it for a long time because there were lawyers involved."_

_"Oh my, so serious! What happened?"_

_"The record company I was working with, who I ended my contract with after this occurred, didn't do a background check on the personal assostant they hired me, they just told me and my manager that they'd vetted them and sent them to me. After a few weeks, they confessed to being a really huge fan of mine who only applied for the job to get close to me. It became clear pretty fast after that that this was a stalker situation they'd let slip through the cracks."_

_"Oh my God! That must have been so scary!"_

_"It was incredibly violating, this was someone who had access to my home and me at an unprecedented level. I've never been one to have body guards or super beefy security, but this changed that." She sighed, the brittle smile on her face breaking Sebastian's heart. "They eventually asked me on a date, which I tried to decline as gently as possible. I thought it had gone okay, but that night when I got in ny car to drive to meet my manager across town, I got into a car accident. He'd cut the brakes in my car."_

_The audience and host gasped, but Vesper continued, her hands tight fists in her lap._

_"Vanessa had hum arrested immediately and used it as leverage to end my contract with that label. There was a trial, kept very quiet, and he's in jail now so we're all good there." She said, smiling weakly when the crowd clapped. "The crash left me injured though. I'd hit my head, and my optic nerve was_ _choked causing me to go blind temporarily which is why I went ti the country hoping to heal away from prying eyes."_

_"Ahem to that sister." The host joked. "So judging from the media storm on Twitter from fall farming isnt all you got up to in the country?"_

_Several people in the audience cat called or whistled, Vesper going pink and looking sheepish. Sebastian turned red, glaring at Haley when she giggled at him until Abby bonked her on top of the head with a fist._

_"Life has a way of throwing things at you that you never expected." She said softly, her tips quirking up on one side into a lopsided smile. "I was in a really low place when he found me and helped me heal."_

_"Tell us about your mystery man, spill the tea." The host emplored, the audience cheering along as Vesper shook her head._

_"I think his privacy had been invaded enough because of me." She said, visibly swallowing as her eyes got misty. "We... What we had was brief, but it was the most real relationship I've ever had. It was something I didn't know I needed or could want anymore, living the life I do. It meant everything to me."_

_"Oh honey, why are you talking about this like it's over?"_

_"Because it is, unfortunately." She said, the audience giving sad reactions as the host pat her shoulder. "I went to the country to escape the paparrazzi and who I was for a while, but it never occurred to me that I would find anything in Stardew Valley worth keeping. I wasn't gonest about who I was, because I was meant to be hiding so I could recover, but as our relationship developped I started feelong more and more guilty about it. I always meant to tell him before we got in too deep but..."_

_"The fans found you first?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"I'm sorry sweetheart, that must have been hard."_

_"It was, but it was my own fault." She said, smiling sadly. "I had reasons to not be too forthcoming after what I'd been through, but that doesn't excuse what I did. The good thing I had I ruined myself."_

_"It sounds like you really loved him honey."_

_"I do, and I never got to tell him."_

The interview phased into talking about how she had used that emotional place for,her new album and the tour dates, but Sebastian had stopped listening by that point.

She loved him.

Vesper loved him

"You okay?" Emily asked, resting a hand on his shoulder. Turning to look at the girls he blinked, struggling to find words.

"So we're crashing this concert right?" Haley asked, raising an eyebrow when everyone looked at her in surprise. "What? She's my idol, and I want her to be happy. If she has weird taste in men that's on her."

"Thanks?" Sebastian said unsurely, taking a deep breath before looking at the other two. "How much are these tickets?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The concert arrives

It felt surreal to be sitting in a dressing room before a show again after everything that had happened. Her road team had already come and gone making sure she was picture perfect to go out on stage so she had a moment alone, a rare thing when on tour, but she felt like she couldn't fully enjoy it.

Objectively, Vesper knew she had a lot to feel proud of. Album sales were through the roof, critics loved it, and almost every leg of the tour was sold out alreasy. She had a lot to be grateful for, she should be happy.

But she wasn't, not deep down.

"The opener is on their last song now if you want to head backatage to get ready. Your guitar is there waiting for you." Vanessa said as she entered the room, reading something on her phone as she stuck her head in the room. When Vesper didn't immediately respond she looked up, a sad amile crossing her face. "You sure you're okay?"

"Little late to back out now don't you think?" She laughed sadly, shaking her head as she stood up. As she passed Vanessa she squeezed her shoulder, a genuine smile slipping onto her face. "You're a great friend, Nessa. See you after the show."

"Somehow I doubt that." She said under her breathe as she made her way to war h from the winga, quickly shooting off one last text: _make sure you're in position for the last song, good luck lover boy, make me proud._

* * * * *

"I can't believe I'm at a Lunar Lace concert!"

"And I can't believe we brought you and your boyfriend along." Abigail muttered as she watched Haley jumping up and down excitedly, Alex watching her nonplussed. Rolling her eyes she checked that their signs were in order for the twelfth time in the last few minutes, only stopping when Emily reached over to hold her hands still. "Sorry, I'm so nervous. You sure we're all good?"

"Vanessa said the lights are in the right place so as long as we're in place for the last song we're good." Emily said soothingly, looking over at where Sebastian stood rigid on her other side. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine." He said shortly, sighing when Emily raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything. Then again, she didn't need to. "Okay, I'm freaking out a little. What if this doesn't work?"

"Then it doesn't work, but at least you don't spend the rest of your life regretting letting her get away from you without even trying." She said, Sebastian swallowing against the lump forming in his throat at her words. "Try to enjoy the show, okay? And when the time comes, we'll be ready."

"We're all here for you, even me." Haley said, sticking her tongue out when Abigial gave her an incredulous look. "What, I can be here for him and also be excited for myaelf ya know? Don't give me that look."

"As long as she holds the sign when the time comes, I'm glad she's here." Sebastian cut in before Abigail could respond, his best friend giving him a slightly sheepish look.

Despite his nerves, once the concert was in full swing he had to admit it was hard not to have a good time. She was so beautiful and alive up there, commanding thebstage like she was born to rule it. His heart pounded in his chest as he watched her, Vesper'd voice a soothing balm to his heartache. He'd already listened to the entire album - once at Haley's onsostance that he couldn't be blindsided by songs in the middle of his attempt to get her back, and then several more times as he marvelled at how much the songs reminded him of the way she felt in his arms or the taste of her lips before everything went wrong - and it was hard not to get swept up in it all. 

"It should be the last song soon I think, we should get in line and pass out the signs." Abby said suddenly in his eat, carefully shoving their was through the crowd. "Come on, let's get your girl back."

* * * * *

"I've got one more for you tonight, and its probably my favorite off the album. I wrote it specially for someone I care about very much. It's called 'Swan Song Duet'." She said, amiling wide as her eyes swept the crowd. Vesper had almost forgotten how much she loved being up on stage, how the energy of the crowd made her feel whole. There was a fierce joy knowing so many people loved this album, that in some small way she'd shared her love of Sebastian with everyone else and made them love him too. As she launched into the aong the lights around her dimmed, smaller blue and purple lights closer to the stage springing to life as she began to sing. A single spotlight sprang to life as the song continued, the colored lights dimming and slowly pulsing as she continued. For the last repeat of the chorus she held the mic out to the audience, tears springing to her eyes as they sang along.

But then the spotlight was moving, Vesper shooting a glance off to the side of the stage where Vanessa had been watching only to,find her smiling widely and pointing out into the audience. Turning Vesper looked out ibto the crowd at what the spotlight was clued in on, a hand shooting up to cover her mouth. Sebastian, sitting on Alex's shoulders so he could be seen, sat behind signs that said 'I heard you', 'I love you', and 'try again?'. The crowd was going wild, several of them having caught on to what she was looking at as she started to cry, hurrying to the edge of the stage as the crowd parted for her friends from the valley to reach her. Security moved to intercept them, but stepped aside for Sebastian when Vanessa appeared and slipped a backstage pass over his head, Vesper leaning down as he finally reached the stage.

"You came?" She asked breathlessly, smiling when he reached up to brush her tears away.

"I did. I heard you had something to say to me. Now finish your concert so I can kiss you already."

_Six months later_

"That should be the last of them, thank God." Sebastian groaned as he dropped onto the couch beside Vesper, his girlfriend immediately curling into his side with a tired smile. "I didn't realize I had so much junk until I had to carry it all."

"Regretting moving in with me already?" She asked playfully, giggling when Sebastian immediately rolled his eyes at her.

"Why would I regret getting to spend even more,time with my amazing girlfriend?" He asked, pressing a kiss into her hair. "I love you, you know."

"Good news, since I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thatnks to anyone who stuck around through this self-indulgent piece of nonsense. Hope you enjoyed it :)


End file.
